Corn and wheat flour chapatis (Indian bread)

Chapatis or chappattis are usually made from wheat flour and eaten with most Indian curries.   Different Regions of India have their own unique style of making chapatis.  In Kenya, the locals make them big and quite thick and often fry them but call them roti. I like to make small and thinly rolled out chapatis.  And no Indian meal is complete without either the chapati or paratha of some kind.  I have recently started to mix other flours to my chapati flour and am really enjoying the taste.  This recipe is made up of mixing 2 cups of strong white flour with one cup of corn flour.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Strong White flour - preferrably chapati flour

1 cup corn flour

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

pinch of salt

half cup flour - to use when rolling out the chapatis

2 teaspoons of olive oil (you can use any oil)

butter or ghee to spread on the chapati (optional) 

1 cup of warm water

Method:

1.  Sieve  the two flours.

2.  Add the salt, oregano and oil.

3.  Using warm water, mix the flour well.  Make sure that you pour the water in small amounts so that the dough doesn't get too soft.  Spread some oil in your palms and knead  until the dough feels pliable - almost like "play dough".  Leave the dough on a floured surface for 5 minutes. 

4.    Now mix your dough folding it in as you mix. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least half an hour.  If you have time,  leave it in the fridge for as long as you can.  Leaving it in the fridge overnight and then making these chapatis produces the best results.   When you are ready to make the chapatis, take out the dough and warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Knead it well and if the flour still  feels cold, you can warm it again for 10 or 20 seconds.  The dough should become slightly warm,  smooth and pliable.

5.  Divide the flour into 15 small balls as shown below:

6.   Dust each ball using the dry flour and roll out the chapati.  You can use any rolling pin and a work top if you do not have a pastry stand.  Making perfect round chapatis does take a bit of practice. The trick to a perfect chapati is to ensure that it rolled out evenly. Grip the rolling pin gently placing the palms of your hands on the at the edges of the rolling pin.  Dust some dry flour on the worktop let the chapati almost roll itself.  Try and resist pressing too hard in the centre of the chapati.  The same pressure should be on the whole chapati.   Please don't be put off if the shape of the chapati looks like the map of Africa or USA....the proof of the pudding is in the taste!!  Practice makes perfect 

7.  Cook it on medium heat using a griddle or dry frying pan. As soon as you can see little bubbles appear on its surface turn it over onto the o ther side. Press the chappatti gently; with dry kitchen paper. The air in the chapati will start to rise when you press the chapati with the kitchen paper. Keep turning the chapati until it rises or you get little dark spots.  Be careful when it rises as the hot air can scald your hands.

8.  Remove  the chapati and keep it on a plate.  Make sure that the plate is covered with a kitchen paper . The hot chapati causes condensation and the kitchen paper keeps the chapati dry.  If you like you can spread some butter or ghee on the chapati and continue making the rest, stacking them like pancakes. If you decide not to spread butter or ghee on the chapatis, my advice would be to keep the chapatis covered with a clean cloth.  This will keep them soft.  These chapatis taste just as nice as the ones made with just strong wheat flour ones. 

9.  Serve it with rice and any curry.  I made mung dall with my chapatis.

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Puran Puri - Chappatis made with sweet lentil stuffing

Puran puris are sweet chappatis and usually reserved  for special occassions.  I like making them as they are easy to make but above all very filling.  Whenever, I make puran puris - I think of the first time I was asked to help roll them out by my mother in law and I had to tell her that I didn't know how to!  How embarrasing!  Anyway, she showed me and it wasn't as difficult as I thought.  However, it still brings back those memories of when I had just got engaged. 

Ingredients for making 10-12 puris:

For the Puran(stuffing):

1 cup toor dall (The toor dall is often called tuver dall, pigeon peas, Congo peas or gungo peas.

½  cup sugar (more if you have a sweet tooth)

½  teaspoon of finely ground cardommon

½  a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds (these give a lovely fragrance to the dish but it's optional) 
1   tablespoon clarified butter (ghee)

For the Chappatti:

2 cups of chappatti flour
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Half a cup ghee or butter for spreading on the puran puri

Method:

1. Wash the toor dall with warm water.

2. Put 3 cups of water in a saucepan and add the toor dall.  Allow this to cook on a high gas until it starts to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow it to cook. You need to allow the toor dall to cook without having to add extra water. The dall needs to be overcooked so that when you stir the dall - it starts to look like mash.

3. Once the dall has cooked, add the sugar, cardommon and nutmeg.

4. The sugar will melt and the dall will start to look runny.

5. Mix well and allow this to cook at a gentle heat, stirring occassionally until the liquid evaporates. Doing it this way, makes the dall splutter a lot so be careful it doesn't splutter on your hands.

6. If you have a microwave -  as soon as you add the sugar, mix and transfer the mixture to a microwave dish and cook with the cover on for 5 minutes, stir and cook for 5 minutes. Repeat this until the mixture looks almost like mash potato. Add the ghee and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

7.   Whilst the puran mixture is cooling, prepare the chappatti flour.

8.    Sieve  the flour and make a dip in the middle.

9.    Add the sunflower oil.

10.  Using warm water, mix the flour well.  Make sure that you pour the water in small amounts so that the dough doesn't get too soft.  Take a small teaspoon of oil in your palms and knead  until the dough feels pliable - almost like "play dough".  Cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour.  

11.  Take small amounts of the sweet puran and make a dozen small golf size balls.

12.   Divide the Chappati dough into a similar number of balls - nearly the same size as the puran balls or very slightly bigger.

13.   Using some flour to dust your work surface, roll out the chappatti flour into a small puri size and place the sweet puran in the middle.
  

 14. Fold  the chappatti edges to seal the puran inside.

15.  Turn the ball upside down and gently press it down by hand.

16.   Gently - using some dusting flour, roll out the puran puri.

17.   Put the frying pan, griddle or tava on the heat.  Transfer the puran puri to cook on the tava.

18.   Allow it to cook on both sides to a golden brown.   It should have some dark spots as shown below.  The chappati should rise as shown below. (Cooking and taking photographs is hard when you are on your own...hence my chapatis got a few more dark patches!!LOL)

19.  Remove and drizzle with ghee or butter before serving with any curry.

For the ultimate wow factor serve them with lots of butter or ghee and sprinkled with almonds

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Chapatis or rotlis, rotis or Indian bread

Chapatis or chapatis are made from wheat flour and eaten with most Indian curries.  Different Regions of India have their own unique style of making chapatis.  In Kenya, the locals make them big and quite thick and often fry them but call them roti. I like to make small and thinly rolled out chapatis.

Ingredients:

2 cups of Strong White flour - preferrably chapati flour

half cup flour - to use when rolling out the chapatis

2 teaspoons of olive oil (you can use any oil)

butter or ghee to spread on the chapati

Method:

1.  Sieve  the flour.

2.  Add the oil.

 

3.  Using warm water, mix the flour well.  Make sure that you pour the water in small amounts so that the dough doesn't get too soft. Spread some oil in your palms and knead  until the dough feels pliable - almost like "play dough".  Cover the dough and let it rest for half an hour.  The best way, in my experience, is to make the dough and leave it in the fridge.  The dough remains fresh for 2 days if kept in the fridge.  When you are ready to make the chapattis, take out the dough and warm it in the microwave for 20 seconds.  Knead it well and if the flour still  feels cold, you can warm it again for 10 or 20 seconds.  The dough should be smooth and pliable.

 

4.  Divide the flour into 12 - 13 small balls as shown below:

5.   Dust each ball using the dry flour and roll out the chappatti.  You can use any rolling pin and a work top if you do not have a pastry stand.  Making perfect round chapatis does take a bit of practice. The trick to a perfect chapati is to ensure that it rolled out evenly. Grip the rolling pin gently placing the palms of your hands on the at the edges of the rolling pin.  Dust some dry flour on the worktop let the chapati almost roll itself.  Try and resist pressing too hard in the centre of the chapati.  The same pressure should be on the whole chappatti.   Please don't be put off if the shape of the chapati looks like the map of Africa or USA....the proof of the pudding is in the taste!!  Practice makes perfect 

6.  Cook it on medium heat using a griddle or dry frying pan. As soon as you can see little bubbles appear on its surface turn it over onto the o ther side. Press the chappatti gently; with dry kitchen paper. The air in the chapati will start to rise when you press the chapati with the kitchen paper. Keep turning the chapati until it rises or you get little dark spots.

 

7.  Remove  the chapati and keep it on a plate.  Make sure that the plate is covered with a kitchen paper . The hot chapatti causes condensation and the kitchen paper keeps the chapati dry.  Spread some butter or ghee on the chapatti and continue making the rest, stacking them like pancakes.

8.  Serve it with a curry.

Extra Information:

Sprinkling sugar on a hot buttered chapati tastes wonderful too.  

Left over chapatis can be eaten cold or slightly warmed up in the microwave. You can also cut the chapatis in diamond shapes and fry them.  Sprinkle some salt to them and they become nice and crispy like corn chips!  Great with salsa or sour cream.

You can also make a curry using cold chapatis and yogurt.  The recipe for using left over chapatis is here